Christmas Brew 2013: Biere De Noel

The Story: Beire De Noel has been said to be a seasonal offering from many Belgian and French brewers that is typically stronger and more robust than the breweries year-round offerings to reward their most loyal customers. This year I wanted to make a offering along the same characteristics as Scaldis Noel, which I recently had on-tap at a great local beer bar called Rustico. At a whopping 12.5% abv, I didn't have the time or inclination to attempt such a bruiser for this year's holiday season. So this is my attempt at capturing Christmas in a glass, the Belgian way, without any spices or gimmicks. Happy Holidays!

Check out this great book for more info on this style: Farmhouse Ales: Culture and Craftsmanship in the Belgian Tradition. 

The Brew: Festive but restrained, this strong Belgian ale sits nicely between a Dubble and Quadruple. A low mash temperature and additional fermentables in the form of honey near the end of the boil helped dry it out and enhance overall drink-ability. A modest hopping rate is used for the bittering addition to simply stand up and balance the large grain bill. Finally, the Belgian blend yeast strain was pitched on the cooler side at around 66F and allowed to free rise;  after being hit with pure Oxygen for about 1 minute. The lower temperature helped keep the yeast esters in check for a moderate yeast character of dark fruits and spices. This batch was split between an unblended version and one with Kriek added to the keg for a touch of Cherry goodness.

Ingredients (8gl batch):
Malt (147F for 1.5 hour; Filtered Water w/ 1/2tsp CaSO4, CaCl2 each):

• 15# Dingeman's Pils
• 3# German Munich
• 2# White Wheat
• 0.5# Belgian Biscuit
• 0.5# Belgian Caravienna
• 0.5# German Carafa II
• 0.25# Gambrinus Honey Malt
• 0.33# Belgian Aromatic

Hops:

• 2oz. Zythos 9.4%AA 60min 

Extra: 2# Clover Honey, Irish Moss, Wyeast Nutrient
Yeast: 3 viles WhiteLabs WLP575 - Belgian Blend (68F Allowed to free rise)
Specs: 1.080 O.G., ~8.6%abv, 40IBU